Passion series: The Descent from the Cross

Joseph of Arimathea is helping Jesus down from the cross. The man in the blue suit assisting him, is a self-portrait. The man watching the action is Nicodemus, a person mentioned only in the Gospel of John. To the left, in the dark, Mary has fainted.

There is some similarity with the Descent from the Cross by PP Rubens, but Rembrandt's work is more serene than the dramatic tableau by Rubens.

The painting is part of a series of passion paintings that Rembrandt made for Frederik Hendrik, the stadtholder. Ref. The Resurrection and The Ascension.